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What is the Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities Fellowship?
The Aetna/DSC HealthCare Fellowship program was created to prepare health care professionals with the tools and skills to develop strategies to address racial/ethnic disparities in health care. Aetna/DSC Disparities Fellows will learn from a cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary staff at the DSC with expertise in racial/ethnic data collection, performance measurement and reporting, disparities interventions, evaluation, and cultural competence. The fellowship is a hands-on working experience, focused on action-oriented approaches to addressing disparities. Fellows will play a major role in one of the on-going projects of the DSC, as well as participate in various national, regional, and local activities of the DSC. In addition, the Fellows will get to shadow DSC faculty, and get regular, customized, one-on-one instruction on individual faculty member’s area of expertise. Funding for this fellowship was made possible through the generous support of the Aetna Foundation, and one fellow will be selected per year.
What is The Disparities Solutions Center?
The Disparities Solutions Center (DSC) at Massachusetts General Hospital is the first national hospital-based center devoted to the development and implementation of strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Created and led by Dr. Joseph Betancourt, the DSC is made up of a multidisciplinary team with a broad set of expertise in the area of disparities. The DSC strives to:
- Serve as a change agent by developing new research and translating innovative research findings into policy and practice
- Develop and evaluate customized policy and practice disparities solutions for health care providers, insurers, educators, community organizations and other stakeholders
- Provide education and leadership training to expand the community of skilled individuals dedicated to eliminating health care disparities
Who should apply to the Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities Fellowship?
Candidates for the fellowship program must be health care professionals at the post-doctoral level (PhD), post-residency level (MD/MPH), or graduate level (RN/MPH, NP, etc.). Ideally, candidates would enter the fellowship with a significant level of practical experience in one or more areas including disparities reduction projects; quality improvement; and community-based research, programming, and evaluation; among others. Mid-career candidates interested in expanding their skills and capacity are encouraged to apply. The fellowship does not include formal coursework nor is it designed to further the candidate’s own independent research projects. However, efforts will be made to provide meaningful educational experiences and collaborations. Fellows will be expected to take the lead on at least one peer-reviewed manuscript over the course of the year.
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Selection criteria will include the following:
We will select one Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities fellow for academic year 2008-2009. The decision will be based on the following criteria:
- Formal Education: Candidates for the fellowship program must be health care professionals at the post-doctoral level (PhD), post-residency level (MD/MPH), or graduate level (RN/MPH, NP, etc.).
- Experience: Candidates should have experience in at least on of the following areas: disparities reduction projects; quality improvement; and/or community-based research, programming, and evaluation.
- Commitment: Candidates should demonstrate commitment to the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health care – as highlighted in the application and previous work.
- Ability to work in Teams: Candidates should demonstrate an interest in working with the DSC team, and on the DSC portfolio of work.
- Initiative: Candidates should demonstrate initiative, and the ability to work independently and carry a project forward with various levels of guidance.
- Action-Orientation: Candidates should demonstrate a desire to have their work show immediately impact; whereas peer-reviewed publications and traditional research skills are viewed upon favorably, that is not the goal of the fellowship.
- US Citizenship or Appropriate Paperwork: Candidates should have all necessary paperwork in place to begin the fellowship on June 30, 2008.
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March 14, 2008 Applications due
April 18, 2008 Fellow notified
June 30, 2008 Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities Fellow to start
June 26, 2009 End of Fellowship
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The Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities Fellow will be involved in several core activities:
DSC Ongoing Projects
The DSC is actively engaged in a wide variety of efforts and projects designed to help organizations take action toward the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health care both locally and nationally. Aetna/DSC Fellows will become part of the DSC team for a year and will be integrally involved in this work. Fellows will engage more intensely on one specific project for which they will play a leading role. They will also get regular, customized, one-on-one instruction on individual faculty member’s area of expertise. Through this process, fellows will be prepared to lead efforts based on the DSC approach at other institutions around the country.
Integrating Community Perspectives into the Elimination of Disparities
MGH has a long and excellent track record of working with communities through its Community Benefits Office and its affiliated community health centers. The Aetna/DSC Fellow will work collaboratively with the DSC to advance community-oriented projects and research. Emphasis will be placed on conditions where racial and ethnic disparities have already been documented. Given the one-year time frame, the fellow's project would ideally represent either a "spin-off" project from an on-going DSC effort or a manageable short-term project.
Harnessing National Leadership to Address Disparities
The fellow will participate in and help disseminate findings from a "Disparities Leadership Forum." This two-day meeting scheduled for 2008 will provide an opportunity for national leaders of centers focused on disparities (such as the DSC) to come together to develop a political and policy strategy to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities in the US.
Annual stipend
The Aetna/DSC HealthCare Disparities Fellowship provides a stipend of $50,000 for the year of fellowship in addition to the standard employee benefit package administered through Massachusetts General Hospital. A limited travel budget will be provided. Clinicians will be allowed one half-day per week for clinical practice should they desire (completely optional), but this must be coordinated by the fellow as the DSC is not responsible for arranging practice experiences or for covering any associated costs of clinical practice (licensure, malpractice insurance, etc.).
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Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH
Director, The Disparities Solutions Center
Senior Scientist, MGH Institute for Health Policy
Faculty, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Betancourt’s interests include cross-cultural medicine, minority recruitment into the health professions, and minority health and health policy research. He has served as principal investigator on grants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Commonwealth Fund, and on several Institute of Medicine committees, including those that produced Unequal Treatment and Guidance for a National Health Care Disparities Report. He co-chairs the MGH Committee on Racial and Ethnic Disparities, has served on the Massachusetts State Disparities Committee and co-chaired the Boston Public Health Commission's Disparities Subcommittee on Quality Improvement.
Alexander R. Green, MD, MPH
Senior Faculty, The Disparities Solutions Center
Senior Scientist, MGH Institute for Health Policy
Faculty, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Green’s work centers on culturally competent approaches to quality improvement, clinician biases as root causes of racial and ethnic disparities in health care, and cultural competence. He has served on expert panels and advisory boards including the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Hospitals, Language, and Culture project, and he co-chairs the Cross Cultural Care Committee at Harvard Medical School.
Roderick K. King, MD, MPH
Senior Faculty, The Disparities Solutions Center
Faculty, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. King’s academic and consulting activities focus on leadership and organizational development in community-based organizations, social entrepreneurship to promote change, health workforce planning, diversity and cultural competence, and social determinants of health disparities. He has considerable federal experience, most recently as Director of the Health Resources and Services Administration and as a Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service. He is an Instructor in the Department of Social Medicine and works in the Office of Diversity and Community Partnerships at Harvard Medical School (HMS).
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For further information
Please browse our website for information on other Disparities Solutions Center activities. Or contact:
Aswita Tan-McGrory – Operations Manager
The Disparities Solutions Center – MGH Institute for Health Policy
50 Staniford Street, 9th Floor, Suite 901
Boston, MA 02114
Email: atanmcgrory@partners.org
Phone: (617) 643-2916
Fax: (617) 726-4120
Complete applications must be submitted by email. Signature pages can be faxed to us, or scanned in and sent to us by email. Applications are due by March 14, 2008. Please send your applications to atanmcgrory@partners.org.
Download an application here.
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